Sure- the only real question is when. Get one that's battery-powered, instead of requiring constant stopping to charge, and you'll pretty much be set. The oil companies and car manufacturers will NOT be happy, however, and will employ means fair and foul to slow you down.
Yes. I think they will eventually be the only kind of vehicle on the market. They are going to have to fix the fact that charging takes so long. Maybe 2 batteries, one that charges while the other is in use or something.
@loves2learn From what I heard, they are difficult to recycle. The batteries may cost as much as a thousand dollars to dispose of properly. This means that people will be dumping them all over the place. The materials that these batteries are made of are much more toxic than lead.
Yes but electronics have components that contain gold and other precious metals. I think modern batteries are made from lithium and it may be more difficult to extract and recycle it. I just can imagine people burying the old batteries in their backyard and as the rainwater leeches it intoi the drinking water there will be all kinds of badness.,
They were already solved, it's just oil and gas companies buy the patents and bury the cars. The EV-1 was pretty good and actually made it to market for a short time. Also it's moot, fossil fuels will run out, ethonol takes too much space to make, and air quality will force electric cars onto people.
What many people don't realize is that no matter what we do we as a species will always have an impact on the surrounding environment. So tomorrow we all switch to electric cars and everything will be hooky dory , right?
Wrong.
People have not the slightest idea how much environmental contamination comes out of battery production not to mention the disposal of batteries. Imagine this but with several hundred million vehicles on the planet.
Unfortunately battery energy density and power availability is still light years behind the venerable internal combustion engine. There are ways to make ICE engines carbon neutral by using electrolysis of water into hydrogen with renewable energy but the infrastructure is not there to meet energy demand yet. Battery tech has a long way to go but electric motors are superior to ICE motors if there was only a good battery.
Yes electric motors have more torque and many have only one moving part. They use 90% of the electric energy to drive the rear wheels. An internal combustion engine only uses 15-20 percent to drive the wheels and the rest is dissipated through the radiator as heat.
The silence of it is great. The heating inside concerns me. Where that electricity will come from - wind and waves, possibly, but plutonium is more likely, and for plutonian energy very very stable peace and calm need to be everywhere, else - Chernobyl/Fukoshima
I think it's the future of most countries. It will be difficult though.
Side note- if we learned how to contain the energy created by the large hadron collider. It generates enough energy to power a massive City for over a decade. Imagine that. It could cut back on pollution by an insane amount. (It costs an insane amount of money to run through, it's in the millions per hour. They also require a lot of upkeep, and can be very dangerous.)
that remains to be seen. Battery tech is on the upswing now, but lithium is a far more finite resource than fuel. I think we are going to see big issues down the road... I wish they would stick with fuel for anything larger than a bike so batteries can be saved for things that truly need them. I don’t want a gas powered laptop when all the lithium is mined
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yes... there are still many questions about its true enviromental credentials but like all tech it will get cheaper... think of it like this, a modern tv is the same price a tv was in the early 1980s but we all earn ten times more money in wages etc
They will ban the alternatives but by then, yes, it's likely with the new technologies, electric cars will likely have achieved parity with combustion cars. If not capital cost, then lifetime costs.
376 opinions shared on Technology & Internet topic.
I expect they will be -- the major expense is the battery, and I expect that technology will improve (get cheaper). Many people I know here in Seattle drive a Tesla and love it.
the govt will force it to be so. I'm against zero emissions... should be low emissions. this move to e cars just push lots of $ and power to china as the usa dies.
No, not without government intervention. The fact is that electric cars are more complex and the inputs more expensive than gasoline-fueled cars. But, you might not be given a choice.
Actually electric cars are less complex. The motor has one moving part. Companies like Tesla make them too complex because they are aimed at the rich. An electric car actually does not even need a transmission. Tesla makes it with one so it can go like a racing car.
Yes. Especially if workplaces install solar panels and charging points for when you're at work. Ensuring the people mining the raw materials aren't being exploited should be high priority, though.
It will be when they have a handle on the lithium for the batteries. Remember though, every time you plug in any appliance you are putting a strain on the electric grid.
Not really I mean going from from north Jersey to South Jersey half way through break down. Where would you even charge it? Or ask random home owner may I barrow electricity?
Of course. We’ll likely run out (or start to feel it) of oil within the next 50-70 years. Most major cities are replete with car charging ports. Same for apartments as a renters perk. Batteries will only get easier to recharge.
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Sure- the only real question is when. Get one that's battery-powered, instead of requiring constant stopping to charge, and you'll pretty much be set. The oil companies and car manufacturers will NOT be happy, however, and will employ means fair and foul to slow you down.
Yes. I think they will eventually be the only kind of vehicle on the market. They are going to have to fix the fact that charging takes so long. Maybe 2 batteries, one that charges while the other is in use or something.
What about recycling old batteries?
Old car batteries? Just like recycling other electronics.
@loves2learn From what I heard, they are difficult to recycle. The batteries may cost as much as a thousand dollars to dispose of properly. This means that people will be dumping them all over the place. The materials that these batteries are made of are much more toxic than lead.
Well that definitely will need to get sorted out. We have free electronics recycling drives around here sometimes.
Yes but electronics have components that contain gold and other precious metals. I think modern batteries are made from lithium and it may be more difficult to extract and recycle it. I just can imagine people burying the old batteries in their backyard and as the rainwater leeches it intoi the drinking water there will be all kinds of badness.,
That is a problem that needs solving for sure.
There should bring back steam power cars, if they brought back crappy electronic cars with them nasty ass computers.
Steam cars could run on anything, even garbage, but you won't see that. Because someone won't be making money off your ass.
That's a reason we don't have cars that run on water. Water powered cars have been around since the 1970s
Sure.
Cheapest car in america: chevy spark - about $12,000
Cheapest electric car in america: chevy bolt, or nissan leaf - about $30,000
Which do you really think people can afford?
Oh, and a Tesla? You can't even lease those cars - you have to buy them. And they're a LOT of money.
They were already solved, it's just oil and gas companies buy the patents and bury the cars. The EV-1 was pretty good and actually made it to market for a short time.
Also it's moot, fossil fuels will run out, ethonol takes too much space to make, and air quality will force electric cars onto people.
There is no free lunch.
What many people don't realize is that no matter what we do we as a species will always have an impact on the surrounding environment. So tomorrow we all switch to electric cars and everything will be hooky dory , right?
Wrong.
People have not the slightest idea how much environmental contamination comes out of battery production not to mention the disposal of batteries. Imagine this but with several hundred million vehicles on the planet.
Unfortunately battery energy density and power availability is still light years behind the venerable internal combustion engine. There are ways to make ICE engines carbon neutral by using electrolysis of water into hydrogen with renewable energy but the infrastructure is not there to meet energy demand yet. Battery tech has a long way to go but electric motors are superior to ICE motors if there was only a good battery.
Yes electric motors have more torque and many have only one moving part. They use 90% of the electric energy to drive the rear wheels. An internal combustion engine only uses 15-20 percent to drive the wheels and the rest is dissipated through the radiator as heat.
The silence of it is great. The heating inside concerns me.
Where that electricity will come from - wind and waves, possibly, but plutonium is more likely, and for plutonian energy very very stable peace and calm need to be everywhere, else - Chernobyl/Fukoshima
I think it's the future of most countries. It will be difficult though.
Side note- if we learned how to contain the energy created by the large hadron collider. It generates enough energy to power a massive City for over a decade. Imagine that. It could cut back on pollution by an insane amount. (It costs an insane amount of money to run through, it's in the millions per hour. They also require a lot of upkeep, and can be very dangerous.)
that remains to be seen. Battery tech is on the upswing now, but lithium is a far more finite resource than fuel. I think we are going to see big issues down the road... I wish they would stick with fuel for anything larger than a bike so batteries can be saved for things that truly need them. I don’t want a gas powered laptop when all the lithium is mined
yes... there are still many questions about its true enviromental credentials but like all tech it will get cheaper... think of it like this, a modern tv is the same price a tv was in the early 1980s but we all earn ten times more money in wages etc
They will ban the alternatives but by then, yes, it's likely with the new technologies, electric cars will likely have achieved parity with combustion cars. If not capital cost, then lifetime costs.
@madgoat I am discounting all government intervention and letting the free market make the decision.
I expect they will be -- the major expense is the battery, and I expect that technology will improve (get cheaper). Many people I know here in Seattle drive a Tesla and love it.
the govt will force it to be so. I'm against zero emissions... should be low emissions. this move to e cars just push lots of $ and power to china as the usa dies.
No, not without government intervention. The fact is that electric cars are more complex and the inputs more expensive than gasoline-fueled cars. But, you might not be given a choice.
Actually electric cars are less complex. The motor has one moving part. Companies like Tesla make them too complex because they are aimed at the rich. An electric car actually does not even need a transmission. Tesla makes it with one so it can go like a racing car.
Good point. When I think of the electronics I think of complexity, but the electronics are complex in combustion engine cars too.
Yes. Especially if workplaces install solar panels and charging points for when you're at work. Ensuring the people mining the raw materials aren't being exploited should be high priority, though.
It will be when they have a handle on the lithium for the batteries. Remember though, every time you plug in any appliance you are putting a strain on the electric grid.
from a practical point of view yes, it will be
from a marketing point of view, not yet... the industry is still... for profit
Not really I mean going from from north Jersey to South Jersey half way through break down. Where would you even charge it? Or ask random home owner may I barrow electricity?
Of course. We’ll likely run out (or start to feel it) of oil within the next 50-70 years. Most major cities are replete with car charging ports. Same for apartments as a renters perk. Batteries will only get easier to recharge.